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Target announces pre-Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales

October 28, 2010 | 3:09
pm

Joining the parade of retailers that are getting a head start on Black Friday, Target Corp. will roll out its pre-Thanksgiving four-day sale starting Sunday, Nov. 21, offering deals on more than 170 items.

Online shoppers can also find deals during Target's online-only Thanksgiving Day sale, featuring specials that won't be available in brick-and-mortar stores when Target's two-day Black Friday sale starts the next day.

The sales coincide with what Target calls its largest free shipping event to date. Shoppers who spend $50 or more on Target.com from Nov. 21 to Dec. 11 can receive free shipping on more than 800,000 items, the retailer said.

On Black Friday, early birds who spend $100 or more before 10 a.m. get a $10 Target gift card, a little sweetener to the store's two-day sale, which offers a total of 25 "doorbuster" deals.

Before the holidays hit, consumers can arm themselves with the company's expanded toy catalog, available online Sunday and in print Nov. 7. In addition to featuring more toys than in previous years, the catalog contains 48 coupons, including 50% discounts on brands such as Thomas & Friends and Trio Building Systems by Fisher-Price and FurReal by Hasbro. It also comes with a tear-out insert for kids to highlight the items they want (so much for writing letters to Santa).

For shoppers who have smart phones and are smart enough to plan ahead, store maps are available through the company's website two days before Black Friday, denoting specific sections and sales locations throughout the store. Customers can also print out the maps and Target employees will be distributing them to shoppers waiting in line on the morning of Black Friday.

-- Nate Jackson

Photo: A Target store in Culver City last year before Black Friday. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times